Lawyer: Suit over prison medication wins $12M award

Tribune illustration

Tribune illustration

By Bridget DoyleTribune reporter

A federal jury on Friday awarded $12 million to a man who said he was deprived of prescribed epilepsy medication while serving time at Statesville Correction Center, leading to permanent injuries, according to the law firm which represented the man.

Andy Thayer, spokesman for Chicago-based law office Loevy and Loevy, said the jury awarded Raymond Fox $11 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages.

Fox, 50, was “severely disabled” in 2007 after he was denied the epilepsy medication after his need for medication was ignored by prison staff, Thayer said.

“This is a very significant verdict if you know anything about prisoner rights,” Thayer said. “It’s very difficult to get any kind of significant settlement for prisoners when their rights are violated.”